The Brightest Star
by RoyalCrimsonCloak
Summary: Little Harry Potter is lost again. Who's the culprit? Will a big black dog save him?


Author's Note: This one-shot is inspired by a prompt from peterpttgrew on Tumblr. This is AU because the Potters are not in hiding! Thank you to MrsRen for being a fabulous jack-of-all-trades. I own nothing except this laptop I write on. Enjoy! -RCC

_Potter Manor, 1980_

A frazzled Lily Potter frantically ran into the bedroom she shared with her husband. She had gone to check on Harry, only to find he wasn't in his cot.

"James Charlus Potter! Where is our son?" Lily screeched. She pounced on her sleeping husband, effectively waking him up.

"Whatsit?" James murmured, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He glanced over at the clock and saw it was near midnight and rolled over with a groan. Lily was now seated on top of him, pinning him to the bed with her full weight.

"Did you lose him again?" She huffed, quickly losing patience with him. She glared at him, daring him to tell anything but the truth.

"No, Lils. I promise. I laid him down in his cot at ten thirty and he was out like a light. I wanted a lie-in after the American mission. He didn't even stir, and I was listening in via the monitor charm. I swear to Merlin, love," he finished, eyes wide.

She crossed her arms, still waiting for an excuse to knock him out. "Alright, but you're getting up to go look for him again and I swear to Morgana if he's lost under that stupid cloak of yours there will be no future Potters made!"

He managed to wriggle a hand free to rub the back of his head sheepishly. "Alright, I may have lost him but I swear it wasn't on purpose!" James confessed.

Lily left him lying there on the massive bed, sashaying out of their bedroom, but not before sending a mild stinging hex to his arm.

He shot up quickly and took off after her, retracing his steps with where he had been with Harry before bedtime. He could have sworn he put Harry to bed, but the mission he'd gone on as a hit wizard made the last few days a blur. _Maybe it's time to retire_, he pondered to himself, scouring the manor corridors and rooms.

At thirteen months old, Harry had proven to be a truly magical child, unsurprisingly to his parents, but regularly scared the life out of Lily. Little Harry had taken his first steps at ten months, and was toddling everywhere by the time his first birthday rolled around. But thirteen months was the magical number. Lily had sat him on his nursery rug to pick his outfit for the day and while she'd done so, Harry chose at that moment to show his first bit of accidental magic by making himself invisible.

"Harry! Where are you?" She called out, beginning to panic. His giggling gave him away and she carefully inched her way to where it was coming from, flicking her wand to undo the Disillusionment charm that he'd put on himself. When he returned to full visibility, she swept the giggling little boy up in her arms and wept in relief.

Harry sweetly patted her cheeks, babbling happily.

* * *

While Lily and James frantically searched the Manor for a missing Harry, Sirius cradled a sleepy Harry in his arms, seated on the roof.

"You see that Harry?" He whispered to his godson, pointing to the North Star. "That's the brightest star in the sky, pup." A slight breeze began to blow, eliciting a shiver from the little boy.

"Sorry pup," Sirius murmured. He wrapped him tighter in his leather jacket and kept pointing out constellations to him, including the Orion Belt.

Harry rubbed his little eyes, yawning.

Sirius took his job as _dogfather _seriously. He had made a vow on the day Harry James was born to protect him with his life and he wasn't going to fail that boy.

He looked down and noticed that Harry had finally fallen asleep. A proud smile crossed Sirius' face, amazed that Harry trusted him enough to fall asleep on him. Harry slumbered peacefully, Sirius still gazing up at the endless night sky.

He was _incredibly_ thankful that things worked out the way they had, looking back. Tom Riddle had been obliterated long before he rose to power, along with his "horcruxes". The Death Eaters, as they called themselves, had been sentenced to a Kiss before Barty Crouch, Sr's lips could form a protest.

Harry began to stir, after only a few minutes of being asleep. Sirius patted his bum gently, the only surefire way to get the tot to remain asleep. He stood carefully and turned around, climbing into the open window of Harry's nursery and lowered the window closed behind him, the boy snug in his arms. He lay the boy back in his cot and turned around, almost walking straight into a worried Lily. He braced her by the arms so she wouldn't fall.

"What were you thinking, Sirius?" She hissed, her eyes sparking fire in the dark room. "We were worried sick and I accused your best friend of losing Harry!" She finished on a harsh whisper.

James came in, hair sticking up everywhere.

"Lily, I still couldn't find him. I'm so sorry," he rushed out, panicked. "I'll call the Aur-"

Sirius' reply to Lily cut him off quickly.

"Lils, relax," he whispered. "Harry was grizzling when I went upstairs to bed and I took him out to look at the stars. He fell right to sleep and I brought him straight in when he did."

"Thank Merlin," James said, relieved. "I really didn't want to have to call the Aurors _again _to report that we'd lost Harry. They might actually take him away," he tried, joshingly. He strode to Lily and wrapped an arm around her, lightly kissing her temple.

Lily sighed quietly. "I'm sorry, Padfoot," she said.

Sirius reached out and pulled her into a bear hug and ruffled her hair, similar to how he treated James.

"Lily, don't you dare apologise," he growled quietly. "You're a wonderful mum and your priority is Harry. I may be his dogfather, but I should have asked permission before taking him out," he finished, releasing her from his grip.

She smiled at him and turned 'round, leaving the nursery and going back to bed, James at her heels.

James paused at the doorway and looked back. "Thanks, Padfoot. I owe you one," he said, smiling tiredly at him.

"I'll take you up on that," he joshed.

Sirius walked crossed back to Harry's cot and leaned in to kiss his forehead. He straightened up and easily transformed into his animagus form and curled up on the rug in front of Harry's cot. He snorted quietly in satisfaction and fell asleep.

He would always be grateful for the Potters for taking him in, but Harry would always be the brightest star in his life.


End file.
